Food talk: Treat yourself to Peruvian pulao

How easily we forget how much Peru, a country situated in the north-western tip of the South American continent, has enriched Indian cuisine! This is where the Spanish conquistadors encountered the potato, which, carried by them and their Portuguese rivals, conquered the world. Can you imagine samosa, tikki or dosa sans good old aloo? This is the tuber that is kosher for diets on the days of ritual fasting and adds delight to myriad combos — vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian. Though it never replaced rice or wheat as a staple despite the best efforts of Company Bahadur in India to ensure food security of the impoverished masses, it has become indispensable in our kitchens, NSEW (North, South, East and West). But this is not intended to be a paean to potato. Historians suggest that the guava also came from Peru, and, indeed, in many Indian languages, the fruit is called Peru or pyara.

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It’s the sheer distance and colonial history writing that seem to have airbrushed Peru from our mind. It’s worth underlining that it’s the third largest country in Latin America. Much before the Iberians lost their way exploring a sea route to India and landed there, magnificent civilisations flourished in this land where the mighty Amazon River is born. The world has heard of the Sun King Montezuma of the Aztecs in Mexico, but few are aware of the achievements of the Incas who built Machu Picchu, the fantastic city at a height of more than 3,000m in the Andean mountains. This UNESCO Heritage Site has inspired an evocative long poem by Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda and mesmerising posters by our very own Vivan Sundaram, a multi-dimensional Indian artist — nephew of the legendary Amrita Sher-Gil — alas, no more with us.

Rice was introduced to Peruvians by the Spanish, who called it arrozo. The descendants of Incas fell in love with the new grain at first bite, and soon discovered myriad ways to enjoy it. This is the story of the birth of Peruvian pulaos. The land opens out to the Pacific Ocean and has access to the ‘fruits of the sea’. It isn’t surprising that rice was combined with fish, prawns, squids, lobsters and more. The preferred meats are chicken and pork, supplemented with beef, and these too were used in pilaf-like recipes.

The purists may quibble that these rice dishes are not real pulaos and biryanis. These aren’t slow-cooked on dum after layering or that they lack the exotic aromatic spicing that we specialise in. We think this is nitpicking. There are many exquisite rice and meat or vegetable combos enjoyed the world over — paella, risotto, nasi goreng, besides variations on the pilaf theme in Central Asia. It’s time we got rid of food chauvinism and learnt to treat ourselves to Peruvian pulaos, to begin with.

We share with our readers our personal favourite, arrozo tapada, that some of our guests call bharwan pulao, and others sandwich pulao. Preparing it is simplicity itself, and it is immensely satisfying.

Arrozo tapada

Ingredients

Rice                                                     500 gm

Minced meat                                     500 gm

Eggs (hard-boiled, shelled)            2

Sweet green peas (optional)           1/2 cup

Onions (peeled, sliced fine)            100 gm

Garlic cloves (crushed)                    6-8

Tomato puree                                     1/2 cup

Cinnamon stick                                  1x1 inch

Black peppercorns                              1/2 tsp

Red chilli powder                                1 tsp (or to taste)

Saffron strands (soaked in milk)     A few

Mint leaves (chopped)                         1 small sprig

Fresh coriander (chopped)                 1 small sprig

Salt                                                           To taste

Oil                                                              1/3 cup

Method

• Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the well-ground minced meat to it and brown well, stirring regularly on medium heat. Put in the sliced onions, crushed cloves of garlic, black peppercorns and red chilli powder, along with salt and tomato puree. Keep stir-frying on medium-low heat till well blended and the oil separates to the sides. Sprinkle a little water in between to avoid scorching of the spices at the bottom of the pan.
• Add peas, if using, with a cup of boiling water, cover and cook till the mince is done. There should be no excess water but the mince should remain moist.
• Meanwhile, in another pan, boil rice. Stir in the milk-soaked saffron when almost done. Divide the rice into two parts. Put one part in a bowl and cover with a tight-fitting plate. Turn upside down on a platter to make a base. Layer carefully the cooked mince over it. Repeat the process with the other half of rice, and carefully plant it on top. Serve with boiled eggs cut into half.

— The writer is a food historian